Use of MULTIplex PCR, Procalcitonin, and Sputum Appearance to Reduce Duration of Antibiotic Therapy During Severe COPD EXAcerbation: A Controlled, Randomized, Open-label, Parallel-Group, Multicenter Trial (MULTI-EXA)

COPD is a common chronic disease. Its natural course is characterized by Acute exacerbations (AE). This may require hospitalization or even ICU/RESUSCITATION admission. The most common causes are respiratory distress with hypercapnic acidosis that requires mechanical ventilation (Invasive or non-invasive). Lower respiratory tract infections, bacteria and/or viruses are the main pathogenic factors of AE. The treatment of AECOPD is initially symptomatic treatment, combining bronchodilators, ventilatory support (oxygen therapy and/or mechanical ventilation) and respiratory physiotherapy. Systemic corticosteroid therapy is optional. When i) the sputum is purulent and ii) increased dyspnea and / or an increase in sputum volume is observed, antibiotic treatment is recommended for hospitalized patients. Antibiotic therapy is routinely recommended when mechanical ventilation is required.

During ICU/RESUSCITATION AECOPD, more than 85% of patients received antibiotic therapy, with a median duration of 8 to 9 days, and the benefit of antibiotic therapy is likely to be limited to infected patients. Suspected or documented lower respiratory tract bacteria, that is, 25% to 50% of patients. This will lead to overuse of antibiotics, which is a problem for patients and the community.

A personalized antibiotic strategy could limit this phenomenon, relying on multimodal methods, using aspect of sputum (clinical method), procalcitonin (PCT) (biological method) and the FilmArray ™ Pneumonia Panel extended panel multiplex respiratory PCR Plus (mPCR FA-PPP) (Biomérieux®) (microbiological approach).

The hypothesis of this study is that sputum appearance, procalcitonin (PCT) and the FilmArray ™ Pneumonia Panel Plus expanded panel multiplex respiratory PCR (mPCR FA-PPP) (Biomérieux®) could be used in combination , and their results integrated into a decision-making algorithm aimed at personalizing antibiotic therapy and guiding its early termination in patients admitted to ICU/RESUSCITATION due to acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) to the main benefit of antibiotic savings, and without additional risk to patient safety.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Acute Exacerbation of COPD
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Personalized antibiotic treatment; Other: Usual antibiotic treatment

Detailed Description

Inclusion (D0_H0) is performed in ICU/RESUSCITATION. The interval between admission to the hospital and admission to ICU/RESUSCITATION must be maximum 72 hours. Conventional microbiological investigations are left at the discretion of the physicians, and may include blood cultures, L. pneumophila and S. pneumoniae antigens. Usual biology includes procalcitonin measurement. Empirical antimicrobial therapy must be started as soon as possible after inclusion.

Randomization is performed immediately after the inclusion. In the intervention arm, a broad panel respiratory mPCR FA-PPP is performed on respiratory tract sample (tracheal aspirate, BAL or sputum), collected 12 hours after inclusion. An algorithm of early antibiotic adaptation and discontinuation, based on the microbiological results, including the mPCR FA-PPP results, and the procalcitonin values and kinetics and also aspect of sputum will be used. This algorithm will be applied as soon as possible after inclusion, and repeated day after day until D7.

In the control arm, the antimicrobial therapy is left at the discretion of the physicians, as in usual practice.

Evaluation criteria are collected at hospital discharge or at D28, and D90. The vital status may be obtained by phone call at D28 (if the patient has been discharged before D28) and at D90.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 204
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Muriel FARTOUKH, PU-PH; Phone Number: 01 56 01 65 72; Email: muriel.fartoukh@aphp.fr
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Guillaume VOIRIOT, Professor; Phone Number: 01 56 01 62 63; Email: guillaume.voiriot@aphp.fr

Study Locations

• France
  • Paris, France, 75020
    • Recruiting
    • Intensive care department-Hospital Tenon
    • Contact: Muriel FARTOUKH, PU-PH; Phone Number: 01 56 01 65 72; Email: muriel.fartoukh@aphp.fr
    • Contact: Guillaume VOIRIOT, Professor; Phone Number: 01 56 01 62 63; Email: guillaume.voiriot@aphp.fr

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥ 18 years old
• COPD (according to GOLD 2020), whatever the stage (I-IV)
• Acute exacerbation (defined as the onset or worsening of one or more of the usual signs/symptoms of COPD) with acute worsening of respiratory symptoms that result in additional therapy) with acute respiratory failure requiring admission to ICU and ventilatory support (invasive mechanical ventilation or non-invasive mechanical ventilation or high-flow nasal oxygen therapy with FiO2 ≥ 50%)
• Informed consent of patient, patient's immediate family/ or inclusion in an emergency situation
• Affiliation to a social security

Exclusion Criteria:

• The interval between admission to the hospital and admission to ICU more than 3 days
• Antibiotic therapy clearly needed for a suspected or documented extra-respiratory infection
• Congenital or acquired immunosuppression (congenital immune deficiency, high-grade hematologic malignancies, use of immunosuppressive drugs in the last 30 days including anti-cancer chemotherapy and antirejection medications, corticosteroid treatment ≥ 20 mg/d prednisone equivalent for at least 14 days, neutropenia, HIV with unknown or known CD4 <200 / µL in the past 6 months)
• Tracheotomy
• Bronchiectasis / cystic fibrosis
• Moribund patient (imminent death)
• Patient deprived of liberty and / or under legal protection measure
• Patient already included in MULTI-EXA
• Patient already included in a type 1 interventional study on antibiotics
• Ongoing pregnancy

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Personalized strategy; Personalized antibiotic treatment based on mPCR results, PCT (values and kinetics) and appearance of sputum. A broad panel respiratory mPCR FA-PPP is performed on a respiratory tract sample collected 12 hours after inclusion. After inclusion (D0), an algorithm of early antibiotic adaptation and discontinuation will be applied immediately and repeated every day until day 7. This algorithm of early antibiotic adaptation and discontinuation is based on a multimodal approach, using: The appearance of sputum (clinical approach);; PCT values and kinetics (biological approach);; Results of mPCR FA-PPP (microbiological approach).	Procedure: Personalized antibiotic treatment; Personalized antibiotic treatment based on mPCR results, PCT (values and kinetics) and appearance of sputum.
Other: Usual strategy; Usual antibiotic treatment Left at the discretion of the physician as in usual practice	Other: Usual antibiotic treatment; The antimicrobial therapy is left at the discretion of the physicians, as in usual practice.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of antibiotic-free days	The number of days alive without antibiotics at Day 28.	Day 28

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Number of days with antibiotics in survivors at D28		Day 28
Number of days with broad spectrum antibiotics in survivors at D28		Day 28
Nosocomial pneumonia incidence rate		Day 28
Multidrug-resistant bacteria colonization / infection rate		Day 28
ICU lengths of stay		Day 28
Hospital lengths of stay		Day 28
Number of days alive without mechanical ventilation (invasive or non-invasive)		Day 28
Incidence rates of Hospital-acquired pneumonia (including ventilator-associated pneumonia)		Day 28
Mortality rates (in ICU, in hospital)		Day 28 and Day 90
Number of additional AECOPD (requiring hospitalization and / or initiation of systemic corticosteroid therapy and / or antibiotic therapy) after the initial AECOPD		Day 90
Time between the initial AECOPD and the following AECOPD (AECOPD requiring hospitalization and / or initiation of systemic corticosteroid therapy and / or antibiotic therapy)		Day 90
COPD-related symptoms	Using the COPD Assessment Test (CAT) questionnaire	Day 90

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
• Collaborators: BioMérieux
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Guillaume VOIRIOT, Professor, Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 8, 2022
• Primary Completion (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 4, 2022
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 4, 2022
• First Posted (Actual): March 15, 2022

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): June 25, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 24, 2025
• Last Verified: March 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Treatment; AECOPD; Procalcitonin; Diagnosis; respiratory multiplex PCR; Appearance of sputum; Antibiotics saving
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Anti-Infective Agents; Antitubercular Agents; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antibiotics, Antitubercular
• Other Study ID Numbers: APHP210085; 2021-005435-23 (EudraCT Number)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual-participant data will be made available outside the primary research group for secondary research purposes like re-analysis, secondary analysis, or meta-analysis, and shared via an online secured platform.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No